"Everyone has a political point of view, so it's always odd to me that people expect, if you're an artist, you're not supposed to have one, or you're not supposed to speak out if you have one," Gray says. "I think that artists might fear that they won't get on the radio, or they'll lose fans, or they'll get some kind of adverse reactions from people and they don't want to risk where their career is at. But I honestly think that's gonna change. I think as an artist, you have to be part of the times."

... and then the text went political and that line about free health care and gun control happened.

"(I)t's always odd to me that people expect, if you're an artist, you're not supposed to have one, or you're not supposed to speak out if you have one."

I think that people expect artists to have very little knowledge of economics, and very little understanding of why the superficial policies loved by the left often fail. Ms. Grey does not disappoint these expectations.

How could this ever change? Is she so self-absorbed that she doesn't understand that her cherished beliefs may tread on the toes of other people's cherished beliefs, and that this just might not be a good marketing strategy for a musician? People come to a popular musician's show for a good time, not a political consciousness-raising session.

I've got no issue with an artist "specializing" in music for some community of whatever sort, and appealing to the mores of that community. But, every artist who does that should know that he or she isn't going to be the next Michael Jackson because of that choice.

How is "free health care" intangible? She's talking about the government asserting control over millions of people's labor and money, and making their goods and services available to her in at no cost, and to her that's not "tangible"?

YoungHegelian: Macy Gray really has nothing to lose. She hasn't had anything resembling a big selling album for over a decade and as far as the United States is concerned she is a one-hit wonder, that one hit being from 1999. Her last 3 albums have gone nowhere. There's nothing to alienate.

Of course everyone has a political point of view, including artists. But we expect artists to do good art, and barefaced political advocacy doesn't make for very good art.

Art can be political and good art if it is realistic and honest, which party lines and talking points never are. And artists -- like the rest of us -- tend toward the simplistic one-sided view of any given political issue, and the corresponding lame arguments and talking points. So politically-driven art is rarely good.

I just responded to a former student's friend request on Facebook. She has posted things about gun control that show how little she knows. She is a nice young female doctor and I don't want to get into politics but she posts stuff like "What if it was as hard to get a gun as to get an abortion ?"

So-called "free" health care is a service provided by other people's labor.

Gun control is a demand that free people cede the right and means to self-defense, while implicitly empowering criminals and others through policies that reduce risk for their actions. It is a denigration of human dignity and disenfranchisement of people who are free to choose and accept responsibility for their actions.

She's a nice young child psychiatrist so I obviously failed in her education but I don't expect her to know about guns. I just wish people like that would do a tiny bit of research before posting things.

The song is cringe-worthy. Very few people can write overtly political dogmatic message songs and not come off poorly. Dylan was the best at it, and despite this skill he wisely stopped doing so around 1963.

I'm convinced Macy Gray wasn't cast in Training Day, they just happened to be filming in her neighborhood and caught her reaction on camera.

Let's see; there are about 1.25M abortions performed in the US each year (give or take). Those can only be performed on women, and specifically women of childbearing years, so that's well less than half of the total population. If you're not a minor you don't need anyone's permission, nor to register the transaction with anyone, nor to undergo any kind of background check. There exist several state and privately-funded organizations dedicated to helping pay for and obtain abortions for women who want them. An individual can travel across state lines for the purposes of obtaining an abortion, and anyone can pay for an abortion for anyone else.

There are about 15M firearms sold in the US each year, to men and women of all ages. The law regulates who can and can't buy and possess firearms, where they can be carried and used, and in many jurisdictions one must get permission from a local law enforcement agent in order to own or carry a firearm (and show cause, etc). You can't purchase firearms across state lines and if you're transferring firearms across states you must do so through a licensed dealer who has to ensure you undergo the government-mandated background checks (and registers the transfer). Straw purchases (buying a firearm for someone else) are illegal.

Look, I could go on, but can we please just resign this stupid, insulting talking point? I thought the phrase "gunshow loophole" was finally falling out of favor (having been demonstrated to be shut utter crap so frequently) but now it's all about comparing guns to abortions and cars again. Even the brain dead Leftits entertainers have to be able to do better than this, no?

People expect artists to not have a political view?!? Most artists can't shut up about their stupid politics. I've also never met an artist whose art wasn't harmed by their politics (I know that some exist, they're just not among my acquaintances).

Isn't Macy Gray pretty niche now? She hasn't been "mainstream" in about a decade.

Oh, she's so brave to go on NPR with those views. What would we do without our artists speaking out! (Ok, I'm being sarcastic.)

Yeah, it takes a special level o' brave to mouth liberal platitudes on NPR. Why Progs feel the need to congratulate themselves for showing "bravery" by mouthing the pop culture utterances of their set of friends is lost on me.

How is "free health care" intangible? She's talking about the government asserting control over millions of people's labor and money, and making their goods and services available to her in at no cost, and to her that's not "tangible"?

Well, Democrats never did have a big problem with slavery.

She's a nice young child psychiatrist so I obviously failed in her education but I don't expect her to know about guns. I just wish people like that would do a tiny bit of research before posting things.

I wonder what the death rates are for non-suicide uses of guns as opposed to abortion.

And I bet it's WAY easier to get an abortion in a large city than a gun.

The best way to consider entertainers' political opinions is to see them as just a part of their entertainment. They really have zero political influence (you're not likely to change your mind about something simply because the guys from Smashmouth spouted off) but they keep us diverted, either by saying something we already agree with or saying something positively stupid. They're just doing their job!